Timothy Tracy went to Venezuela to shoot a movie about the country’s current political climate and was arrested and accused of instigating unrest by President Nicolas Madura.

“Venezuela’s arrest of Tim Tracy, a documentary film-maker on trumped up charges is an unsettling indication that Hugo Chavez’ intolerance of press freedom has survived his death. The charge, reportedly personally approved by President Nicolas Maduro, that Mr. Tracy is ‘creating violence in the cities of this country,’ is ludicrous on its face,” Schiff said in a statement released Sunday.